Reincarnation
by Vile.EXE
Summary: WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE TRUE ENDING OF AZURE STRIKER GUNVOLT. As Gunvolt returns home, weary and sullen, a last-minute encounter with an old "friend" will alter his future into one worth living.


**Vile: Hey folks! Hopefully you're all used to long periods of time between uploads. I do have other things to do, y'know. XD Anyway, I got Azure Striker Gunvolt today and got to the end of the "Good" Ending, though to be honest, calling it a "Good" Ending is a massive stretch, so I came up with an afterscene that would actually make it a "Good" Ending. For anyone who knows what happened, you're good. If you haven't gotten the True Ending yet, or you haven't even played Gunvolt yet, STAY AWAY unless you don't care about spoilers, though I highly recommend getting this game off the eShop (only $15). You have been warned. At any rate, enjoy, everyone!**

**Afternote: I think this is the first Azure Striker Gunvolt fic on this site. If it is, I got to break this ground! YAY! XD**

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Reincarnation

The light of the rising sun bathed the land as Gunvolt, now the only Azure Striker, stalked away to his lonely home. Though only an hour had passed since then, Gunvolt felt like he had been wandering for years. Sure, Joule would always be with him now… but only as a voice and a power. He wouldn't be able to see her face or carry her again. Gunvolt would be lying if he said all their time together hadn't caused him to develop feelings for the purple-haired girl. She became the one thing he could come back to. Her death crushed him… but he was glad she wasn't gone for good. _'Beggars can't be choosers, I guess.'_ He thought, unsure and uncaring if Joule had heard him.

As he ascended the stairs to his apartment and reached for the keypad, a voice stopped him. "Hold it." Gunvolt stoically looked to the side and noticed Copen staring at him from the other end of the upper-floor walkway. He appeared to have a bit of a limp, but for the most part, he looked fine.

"…I guess Asimov didn't kill you when he took your gun after all." Gunvolt said, unfeelingly.

"Cruel mercy, he called it." Copen said. "So, you killed Asimov, huh?" Gunvolt nodded. "…Right then." He immediately converted his shield to bow form and pointed it at the Azure Striker, the arrow taking on a purple glow. "Don't move."

Gunvolt's eyes were wide. Caught with his guard down, his heart wounded, and his body weak from battle. "If you scratch even one hair on Gunvolt's head…!" Joule's voice growled from her unseen form.

Copen wasn't threatened. "Shut up, girl. I'm doing Gunvolt a favor." The sides of the arrow suddenly changed to look like wings, and it began spinning around.

Gunvolt turned to stare at Copen. "If you think you can really hurt me now… Go ahead and try." The same rainbow aura from his fight with Asimov appeared.

However, Copen's next line surprised him. "…This arrow isn't supposed to hurt you." With that, the arrow fired from his bow-shield, striking Gunvolt dead in the chest. Upon impact, a massive flash of purple light blinded Gunvolt's vision, and an eyecatch with Copen appeared, with him speaking the larger words:

**Bolt of the angels, corporealize the stray soul, make one into two again: LIVING ARROW!**

Finally, the light died down, Gunvolt blinking in order to see again. He looked around and noticed that Copen was gone… and so was the aura around his body. He immediately wondered if Joule was all right. "Joule? Joule?" He waited for a while, but no answer. "Joule?! Lumen?! Are you all right?!" Still no answer. Gunvolt was frightened. "JOULE!" His cry echoed through the empty area. Gunvolt felt dread pit his stomach. "No…"

"Tone it down. You're going to wake the whole neighborhood." Copen's voice spoke through his communicator.

"You… What did you do to Joule?!" Gunvolt yelled over the link, not caring how Copen even got into his frequency.

"You'll find out once inside." Copen told him. "I'll tell you this, though: I didn't do that for you. I want you to at least be killable for the next time we meet. Farewell… Azure Striker."

"Wait! What do you mean?!" Gunvolt cried, but the link cut out without an answer. The poor teen could not figure out what Copen meant. _'I'll find out once… inside?'_ Then an idea hit him: Inside his apartment, maybe? Gunvolt quickly punched the unlock code for his door into the keypad and opened the door. The living room and kitchen didn't look any different, but then he heard a noise: Faint breathing. Shutting the door and locking it behind him, Gunvolt followed the voice into his bedroom, gasping at the sight before him. There, laying on the bed, was Joule. The breathing was coming from her, meaning she was alive and well. Gunvolt was speechless._ 'But… I left her… up there… How…'_ He then remembered the purple glow of Copen's attack, and the name flashed back in his head: "Living Arrow". Elise. Copen had used her copied power… to bring Joule back to life. But he remembered that it might not have been perfect. Hesitantly, Gunvolt approached the sleeping girl, gently shaking her. Letting out small noises, Joule's eyes shook before they slowly opened. Her vision was blurry for a moment, but as it slowly focused, she took in Gunvolt's worried face. Her face looked confused for a moment, almost as if she didn't even recognize him at first, but her eyes widened slightly. "J… Joule…?"

Then, Joule's eyes began to fill with tears, and she sat up with lightning speed and lunged at him, tackling Gunvolt and latching her arms around him. Her face went into his chest. "Gunvolt… Gunvolt…" She sobbed, tears falling without any restraint. Gunvolt let out a heavy breath as he ensnared her in his arms, feeling Joule's arms tighten around him. Her small body trembled, but Joule couldn't have been in a happier position: She was alive, and able to actually touch Gunvolt again (and vice versa). Gunvolt tightened his right arm's grip, pulling her closer to him, while his left hand moved up into her hair, caressing the purple locks to try and soothe her. Joule's sobbing began to come to an end, but her tears remained, as Gunvolt could tell by the front of his shirt getting wetter.

Through all of this, Gunvolt and Joule vaguely noted the absence of Lumen, but they did hear lyrics being sung in her familiar voice: Her song, Reincarnation. Lumen herself was standing outside the room, giving them their time alone, but she was singing the song, almost in reflection of how things turned out.

Joule slowly pulled away, looking at Gunvolt's face. She realized now that Gunvolt was crying as well. Joule had never seen Gunvolt cry, and she didn't like it. Apparently Gunvolt thought the same thing as her, as he moved his thumb to her cheeks and began brushing away her tears, even though they were quickly replaced by more. As the two stared at each other, a thought crossed both of their minds, and seeing their reflections in the others' eyes made it clear that it was something they both wanted. Forgoing any words, Gunvolt and Joule leaned toward each other with closing eyes and allowed their lips to connect. Nothing too forward: Just a simple, tender kiss, almost as if either party would shatter like glass if the other was too rough. As much as Gunvolt really didn't want to make such a cliché comparison, he couldn't help it: Their kiss sent a spark through his body that was very different from his Azure Striker, and he relished the feeling of it. Joule felt the spark as well, letting out a soft moan as she sank further into his embrace. Despite their earlier thoughts, neither cared as their tears fell from their eyes again.

Such an outcome was nothing short of a miracle, they thought: They had become dependent on each other, and even though Joule was still with him in mind and soul, now she was with him in body and heart as well, resurrected through an unlikely charity. Their vow to each other was only more reinforceable than ever: They would never lose each other again. They might not have known what their future would be now, but to them, any future that they could both partake in was a future worth waiting for… or fighting for, should the need arise again.

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**Vile: I feel like if you're gonna make someone go through the trouble of getting a True Ending, you should make it something they hoped to see. Me, I wanted a scene where Gunvolt and Joule actually had a real future together. Would've made it even more worth kicking Asimov's ass. Anyway, if you guys liked this ficlet, leave a review for me! I really hope Comcept makes a sequel for Gunvolt, not just to fix the ending, but just to re-experience the awesomeness! Oh, and for anyone who read this without actually playing the game, once again, you should pick this game up! It's worth the money! Ja ne for now!**

**Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


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